Set up and tune PC VR in Microsoft Flight Simulator

This guide covers PC VR. Before choosing a headset, check support for your Windows version, its PC connection and the software supplied by its manufacturer. Your main monitor’s resolution does not describe the headset’s rendering workload.

Check compatibility before changing settings

Microsoft Flight Simulator uses OpenXR for VR. Install or update the headset’s official software and follow its instructions to select the active OpenXR runtime. Check that the headset works in its own environment before starting the simulator. Microsoft Flight Simulator’s VR support page confirms this requirement.

Check Windows Mixed Reality headsets carefully: Microsoft removed WMR from Windows 11 starting with version 24H2 and states that its support ends after November 2026. Older buying advice about a WMR headset may therefore no longer suit your PC. Consult the official list of removed Windows features and the manufacturer’s support information before buying or changing operating systems.

The VR requirements published for MSFS 2020 are a historical reference. They do not validate a particular MSFS 2024 setup or every current headset.

Establish a simple baseline

1. Start with a simple flight that works properly on your monitor, using an included aircraft and no additional scenery for the test area.
2. Connect the headset and enter VR. The default shortcut is Ctrl + Tab unless you have changed the binding.
3. In MSFS 2024, use the VR settings category; in MSFS 2020, look for VR settings under General Options. Do not change only the monitor profile.
4. Note the render resolution and refresh rate selected in the headset software, plus the simulator’s render scale. Avoid increasing several multipliers together.
5. Test in the cockpit: read small instruments, look to either side and taxi slowly. Look for steady movement as you turn your head.

The menu layout and when VR settings take effect are covered in the official settings overview.

Balance workload and readability

Our method: begin with a resolution and refresh rate offered as defaults by the manufacturer, then change one setting at a time. If movement judders, compare a lower render resolution before raising detail. If instruments become too blurry, restore the previous setting and test clouds, traffic or detail levels instead.

Reprojection offered by some VR software and monitor frame generation are not interchangeable settings. Follow the headset documentation for supported options. With a wireless headset, also compare behaviour using the manufacturer’s reference connection method: a fast Internet connection alone cannot diagnose the link between the PC and headset.

Reference information and links checked again on 5 November 2026.